Something No Good
by Lady Emily
Summary: When Cody begins acting oddly, Zack and Bailey scheme to uncover his secret.
1. In Which Cody Acts Strangely

A/N: Just a short, silly little story I've been sitting on for a while and finally got the motivation to finish. Hopefully you don't think it's too goofy lol. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me and I am making no profit from their use.

* * *

"Woody!" The shrill voice of Marion Moseby carried across the Sky Deck. "How many times have I told you: no bare feet within ten yards of where people eat!"

Just another day at the smoothie bar. Zack grinned from behind the smoothie counter as Woody groaned, taking his foot off the stool where he'd been showing off his new bunion to him, Cody, and a very disgusted Maya. "But Mr. Moseby, it's hot out! Everyone else is allowed to have bare feet!"

Mr. Moseby folded his arms sternly. "Everyone else has five toes on each foot." he reminded crisply. "Your feet are putting the passengers off their food."

"But the passengers are paying a flat rate for meals for their cruise, no matter how much they eat or don't eat." Cody rationally pointed out from his seat on Woody's left. "So really, if they eat less, you save money."

Mr. Moseby scoffed, then paused thoughtfully. "Actually, that's true... hmm..."

Maya elbowed Cody in the stomach. "Not that we think Woody's nightmarish feet should be allowed to be exposed with impunity. The passengers are already seasick, they don't need another reason to vomit!"

"And they scare the kids." Zack spoke up, backing her up.

"Also an excellent point." Moseby acknowledged. "Sorry, Woody. Socks back on, please."

Woody grumbled, but acquiesced, as Moseby strode away, off to terrorize some other unfortunate students, no doubt. Zack tossed his dishrag aside and leaned on the counter. Moseby would pop back in to make sure his orders had been followed, but it wouldn't be for a little while. "No worries, Woody, he's gone."

"No, it's alright." Woody sighed. "They make me a little nauseous sometimes too."

Bailey joined them on the deck, taking a seat on Woody's other side."Hey guys. _Cody._" She acknowledged her ex-boyfriend in a tone that said that just the sound of his name made her skin crawl. "What's going on?"

"Well, you just missed a close-up look at the nastiest foot I've ever seen." Maya said with a shudder. She looked at Woody. "Actually, I'm not even sure I would call it a _foot_."

"Darn..." Bailey said dryly.

Cody leaned into the counter. "Have you been sleeping all right, Bailey? You look like an extra from _Dawn of the Dead_." he smirked.

Zack raised his eyes heavenward. When Cody and Bailey had first broken up a few weeks ago, Cody hadn't even been able to think about his ex-girlfriend without weeping openly. Now they were in a stage where they bickered constantly, picking on every little thing about the other. Sometimes, Zack wasn't sure whether he preferred the crying or the insults.

"Oh, well, I guess I could have changed into my footsie pajamas and gone to bed at seven-thirty last night like you did," Bailey sniped back. "But some of us actually have social lives."

"Let me guess. You were up late making long-distance phone calls to the chickens on the farm?" Cody taunted.

"Close." Bailey returned. "It just so happens I had a hot date last night."

Zack winced. He didn't know if she was telling the truth about having a date or not, but it looked like this argument was effectively over. Cody would be too shaken to continue, too upset over the idea of her with another man... and he'd be miserable. Maybe even openly-weeping miserable, all over again.

But to Zack's surprise, Cody didn't stutter an excuse and make a hasty exit. Instead, he leaned back coolly, folding his arms. "Oh, a hot date. Right. Tell me, Bailey, did he have _shoulders_?"

Bailey smiled smugly. "Oh, he had a lot more than just shoulders."

"Wow." Zack whistled, drawing the ex-couple's heated gazes away from each other. "Is anybody else _intensely _uncomfortable right now?"

Maya nodded. Seated between Cody and Bailey, Woody whimpered and raised his hand meekly.

Cody patted his roommate on the back. "Sorry, Woody. Bailey can be so childish sometimes."

"Me?" Bailey repeated shrilly. "You started it!"

Cody shot the rest of the group a long-suffering look. "See what I mean?"

"Pathetic, Cody." Bailey snorted. "Don't you have somewhere to be? Like doing next month's homework?"

Cody picked a piece of dirt out from under his fingernail. "No, but you're about to be late for your shift at _One of a Kind_." he pointed out.

Bailey checked her watch and frowned. "Horsefeathers!" She stood up and gave the group a quick wave. "See ya, guys. _Cody_."

As soon as she was gone Zack fixed his twin with a no-nonsense look. "What was _that_ about?"

Cody looked at him blankly. "What was what about?"

"You and Bailey being so vicious and aggressive to each other. What's going on?" Zack pressed.

"Uh, we broke up, remember?" Cody answered sourly. "We're angry at each other."

"Yeah, but you're being weird about it." Maya agreed slowly.

"Weird about what?"

Woody pointed his finger in Cody's face accusingly. "And now you're being purposely obese!"

Cody's eyebrows shot up. "Hey!"

Rolling his eyes, Zack reached over and pulled Woody's hand out of Cody's face. "He means 'obtuse'. And he's right."

"Obtuse? Really, Zack?" Cody repeated, stifling a grin. "What, were you just studying for the SATs?"

"Aaand now you're changing the subject." Zack pointed out.

"Look," Cody began. He stood up. "I don't know what you guys are talking about. But I've got some stuff to do, so I'll see you later." He hurried off in the same direction as Bailey had gone.

Zack smacked the counter in frustration. "What is going _on_ with him?"

Woody shrugged. "Well, he has always had a couple screws loose... maybe the break-up knocked 'em out for good."

Zack furrowed his brow. "No... no, I don't think so. This feels weird to say, but I know my brother... and I know he's up to something."

"Something no good?" Woody asked.

"Something no good." Zack confirmed. "And I'm going to figure out what."


	2. In Which The Secret Is Revealed

A/N: I won't keep you in suspense for long... Reviews, please!  
_

* * *

Jing-a-ling._

Yawning, Zack sat up, looking around his cabin for the source of the sound before realizing that his trap had been sprung. After some careful observation of his brother's strange behavior, (and an offhanded remark from Maya about how tired he looked,) he'd gone out on a limb and guessed that Cody was sneaking out at night to do who-knows-what. Some kind of unauthorized science experiment, if Zack were to take a guess. But even though it was probably boring, as his older brother it was Zack's job to be aware of what Cody was up to- he might need it for blackmail later.

It had been the simplest thing in the world to rig an alarm system so that he would know when the door across the hall was being opened. Piece of string attached to the underside of Cody's door, run through a slit-not-even-Moseby-would-notice in the hall carpet, stretching across the hall and into Zack's room, coming up through another ever-so-tiny slit. Tie that end to a bell and voila, instant Cody alarm.

Toeing his sneakers on, Zack watched through the peephole to see which direction Cody had gone. When he was sure his brother was out of sight, he cracked open the door and followed.

Cody was being his stealthiest, but since when had Cody's wiles ever been a match for Zack's? Easily, Zack trailed his brother to the Sky Deck, only nearly losing him once. The Sky Deck was empty, of course- it was after three in the morning, but Cody took a seat on one of the stools at the smoothie bar. Zack faded back into the shadows under the staircase, watching, waiting for the other shoe to drop. After a few minutes of nothing happening, Zack began to doubt his intuition. Maybe Cody just came up here at night to think by himself. Heck, maybe he was sleepwalking...

Which was when he heard footsteps above his head.

Crouching in his hiding place, Zack held his breath as Cody stood, smiling widely, and walked toward the staircase... but his eyes never landed on Zack, they were completely focused on the new arrival. Through the spaces between the stairs Zack spotted bare feet with polished toes, shapely legs... His jaw dropped open- Cody was sneaking out at night to meet up with a girl!

Zack's mind was still reeling with surprise as the girl reached the bottom of the stairs, crossing over to his brother. It was dark on the deck, and her back was to Zack, so he couldn't identify her... but it seemed like the only thing she was wearing was a large sweatshirt. Her straight hair blew slightly in the breeze as she reached out and placed both palms on Cody's chest. Without a word, Cody slid his arms around her slim waist and kissed her, deeply. Even from his position Zack could see that this was _not_ a first kiss.

The girl's fingers trailed over his shoulders and neck and into his hair and she deepened the kiss, letting out a little moan that almost echoed in the silence.

Zack tried to tear his eyes away and couldn't. What was going _on_ here? Since when did _Cody_ sneak around after curfew with girls? Since when could Cody even _get_ a girl? Let alone a half-naked girl! Who would let him kiss her like _that! _He was so shocked that he almost forgot to be uncomfortable about witnessing his brother's hot and heavy makeout session.

Almost.

Without releasing her lips, Cody took a few steps, backing the girl into the side of the hot tub. She arched her back into it, forcing him to press his body against hers just to reach her mouth. Between kisses they both chuckled in low voices.

The girl's hands disappeared under Cody's shirt, and after a moment she had it worked up over his head, tossing it to the side and running her hands over his bare skin. A wave of nausea overtook Zack as Cody's fingers toyed with the hem of the girl's sweatshirt, teasing her.

He could not be watching this.

Of course, if he moved, they would see him right away, but at this point, wouldn't it be worth whatever humiliating consequences he had to bear to _not see this?_

Finally grasping her sweatshirt, Cody seamlessly pulled it over her head, tossing it to join his own shirt and revealing, to Zack's immense relief, that the girl was wearing a bathing suit. She shivered visibly in the cool night air, and Cody immediately went to work warming her, his hands rubbing up and down her arms, his mouth caressing her jaw, neck, collarbone... She squealed a little bit as he hefted her into his arms, carefully taking her up the steps to the platform of the hot tub before setting her back on her feet.

Zack couldn't stop his eyes from following her movement as she sensually stretched out one smooth leg and trailed her toe through the bubbling, steaming water in the tub. Mentally, he went through the list of girls it could be... there weren't many who would give Cody the time of day, and of the few who would, almost none of them looked like _that_. He guessed it could be Reina, that cute brunette who was a bone of contention in Bailey and Cody's relationship a while back... oh, _man_, if Bailey ever got wind of this...

The couple eased down into the churning waters of the hot tub, their features becoming obscured even further by the rising steam, still kissing and caressing. Zack made a disgusted face. _Memo to self: stay __**out**__ of the hot tub for a few days._

He wasn't going to be able to get out of this situation without being seen by Cody and his new girlfriend, so Zack resigned himself to staying for the long haul. Dropping out of the painful crouch and onto his butt, he scooted back against the wall where his vision of the hot tub was obscured by a large fire extinguisher, resting his head on the foam surface of a life preserver. He might be trapped here, but he certainly wasn't going to _watch_. Willfully ignoring the discomforting sounds coming from the direction of the hot tub, he reclined against the life preserver, staring up at the stars visible through the planks of the staircase.

He yawned. Ah well... it was almost four in the morning. Couldn't hurt to get a little shut-eye while he was here, could it?

* * *

Hot Caribbean sun streamed through the steps of the staircase into Zack's eyes, rousing him from his sleep. He groaned, stretching his arms and legs, muscles stiff from sleeping on the wooden planks of the Sky Deck all night. Yawning, he blinked groggily, startled at the sight of a shadowy figure looming over him. "Gah!"

Mr. Moseby rolled his eyes skyward, folding his arms. "Should I even _ask_ what you're doing sleeping out here?" he said in a voice of long-suffering.

"Uh... no?" Zack said sheepishly, smiling innocently. He cracked his neck painfully. The life preserver had not made a particularly good pillow. "What time is it?"

"Almost eleven." Moseby said crisply. "You're lucky most of the passengers didn't notice you back here. The only reason I came looking was that a toddler saw your sneakers and thought you were 'a dead guy'."

Zack sat up, running a hand through his hair. "Well I'm not."

"Well, you will be." Moseby said darkly. "If you don't get back to your cabin, shower and change before your shift starts in twenty minutes."

Zack grimaced. What had possessed him to schedule himself to work before noon on a Saturday anyway? "All right." He dragged himself up and out from under the stairs.

"And don't let this... whatever it is... happen again!"

* * *

Zack couldn't wait for Maya and Woody to show up so he could tell them all about catching out Cody and his mystery girl. Of course, it _was_ Saturday, so neither of them appeared on deck until after 12:30. "Psst, Maya, Woody!" he hissed, waving them over.

Maya gave him a weird look as she crossed the last few feet to the smoothie bar. "You know we _were _on our way over here anyway..."

"I know." Zack said impatiently. "But you weren't fast enough! I have something to tell you!"

Maya and Woody exchanged glances. "You've decided to become a woman." Maya guessed teasingly.

"No..." Zack scowled. "It's about Cody. He-"

"_He's_ decided to become a woman?" Woody exclaimed.

Zack folded his arms. "Close, but no. I finally found out why he's been acting so suspicious lately. You're not going to believe it."

"What do you mean?" Woody asked. Maya raised her eyebrows in interest, leaning in.

"So I heard him sneak our of your cabin last night." Zack began. "I follow him out to the Sky Deck, right? And there he is, totally making out with some hot girl!"

"Really?" Maya's hand flew to her mouth. "You saw us?"

Woody gaped at her. Zack's eyeballs nearly dropped out of his head. "Wha-? You-? But I-"

"I was joking!" Maya reassured him quickly, then grinned. "But you should have seen your face!"

Zack glared at her. "Don't _do _that."

She giggled. "Sorry."

"Well if it wasn't Maya, then who was it?" Woody asked, confused.

"Who was what?"

All three teens jumped at the unexpected intrusion into the conversation, turning guiltily toward a curious-looking Bailey.

"Uh, that smokin' lifeguard on the Lido deck." Zack said quickly.

"The lead scorer for the Yankees last year." Maya said simultaneously.

"Cody's secret girlfriend." Woody said, also at the same time. He frowned and looked at the other two. "Oh, we were making stuff up?"

Bailey frowned. "Cody's _what_?"

"He said, uh, Cody's... secret... girl _hen_." Zack supplied lamely. "He's been... hiding this chicken illegally in his cabin for weeks and..." He trailed off, rolling his eyes. She was never going to believe such a stupid lie. "Oh, forget it. Cody's got a girlfriend."

Bailey's lips were pursed tightly. "H-he... _what?_"

Zack folded his arms sympathetically. "Sorry, Bailey. I caught him sneaking around with her last night."

"Oh..." Bailey straightened up, looking indignant. "Well... Don't be sorry! I don't care who Cody dates!" She bit her lip, looking at Zack hesitantly. "So... you didn't see who she was?"

Zack shrugged. "It was too dark, I couldn't recognize her."

"All he could see was that she was hot." Woody added helpfully, causing Zack to smack him with the dishtowel and Maya to stomp on his foot. "OW!"

Bailey's eyebrows disappeared into her bangs. "You... you thought she was hot?" she asked in an unreadable voice.

Zack scoffed. "Well, I mean... as far as _Cody's_ dates go-"

"Hey!" Bailey protested, insulted.

"Present company excluded of course." Zack added hastily. "What I meant was, she was no Maya..."

Maya rolled her eyes. "Alright, Casanova. Open mouth, remove foot."

"So are you gonna tell Cody that you saw him?" Woody asked, bringing them back to topic, much to Zack's relief.

"Eh, I don't know..." Zack answered slowly. "I can't believe he thought he could hide this from me! I was thinking: maybe I'll mess around with him a little first."

Maya shook her head in exasperation. "Of course you will."

But Bailey leaned in, a pleased gleam in her eye. "What exactly did you have in mind?"


	3. In Which London's Already Figured It Out

A/N: **Thank you** to each and every one of my reviewers. It means so, so much to me to hear your feedback, and I want you to know that I honestly appreciate the time you take to read and comment. Please keep it up! You'll enjoy the next chapter, I know you will!  


* * *

Zack rested his head on his fist, his elbow propped up by the smoothie counter. There didn't seem to be many customers this evening, and he was sooo tired... He let his eyes slip shut for just a moment. If you really stopped and thought about it you could feel the ship's gentle rocking...

"No sleeping on the job!" A voice cried.

Zack's head slipped off his hand and hit the counter, rendering him instantly awake and in pain. "Gah!"

Maya and Bailey were standing on the other side of the smoothie bar, laughing hysterically. He hadn't even heard them walk up. "That wasn't funny!" he glared at them. "I think I bit my lip!"

"I think so too." Bailey concurred. "You're bleeding like a stuck pig."

Zack grabbed a napkin and wiped the blood off his lip. "Gee, thanks."

Maya tried to smother her smile, a guilty look crossing her face. "I'm sorry, Zack, I shouldn't have startled you. I just saw you standing there sleeping and couldn't help it..."

"I might be able to find it in my heart to forgive you," Zack sighed, looking at the bloody napkin and touching his lip tenderly. "...It would help if you'd kiss it better..." he wheedled hopefully.

Maya snorted. "How about you just keep searching your heart." she said. "If you can't find it... ehh, oh well."

Bailey rolled her eyes. "Nothing like unnecessary body fluids to entice a girl, Zack."

Maya laughed, taking a seat on one of the stools. "Why are you so tired? Can't sleep at night?"

"Up late watching your season three box set of _Sex and the City_?" Bailey guessed with a grin.

"Having silk-pajama pillow fights with Woody and Cody?" Maya added, causing both girls to break into giggles once more.

Zack glared at them from under heavy eyelids. "I don't even have the energy to think of a sarcastic retort. And no fair teaming up on me like that."

"All right." Maya said, calming herself down. "What's really going on?"

"It's Cody." Zack growled. "And his stupid secret girlfriend. My plan to prank them has not been going smoothly."

"You don't say." Bailey said sympathetically. "What happened?"

"Remember how I told you I was going to water bomb them?"

Bailey nodded.

"The first night, I waited for Cody to leave his room again, but he didn't go up to the Sky Deck. I just followed him all over the ship for like, an hour. And then I lost him." Zack said with annoyance.

"Tough luck." Maya commiserated.

"And last night," Zack continued, "I followed them both up to the Sky Deck, they were in the hot tub again, just as planned... but the stash of water balloons I hid under the stairs was completely destroyed- every last one of them, popped!"

"Unbelievable..." Bailey tsked.

"And the worst thing is that I _still_ can't figure out who she is!" he complained. "She's always standing in the shadows, or she's got her hair over her face... I've gotta find out who this girl _is_!"

Maya rolled her eyes. "If it's bothering you that much, maybe you should just ask Cody." she suggested dryly. "If you want, _I'll _ask him."

"No, no, no." Zack sighed. "It's _Cody._ I can't have him thinking he's outsmarted me."

Bailey leaned her elbows on the counter. "Well, he _has_." she pointed out.

"Ha-ha." Zack said, also leaning forward. "Hey, I'm going to try and get them again tonight. Either of you want in?"

"Hmm... giving up a good night's sleep to go on your little wild-goose quest to harass your brother..." Maya said sarcastically. "Tempting, really, but I think I'll pass."

Bailey paused for a minute. "Okay, I'll come." she said.

Maya looked between them, shaking her head. "Poor Cody. I feel bad for the guy."

"Well, you know what they say about a woman scorned." Bailey said wickedly, and Zack high-fived her.

"That's the spirit!"

* * *

Zack grinned to himself as he left his cabin- the water balloons were ready and waiting, and all he had to do was get to the Sky Deck and wait for Cody to make his move. Just a quick stop to pick up Bailey and then the execution of the most embarrassing prank he'd played on Cody since locking him out of the suite with no clothes on.

He knocked softly on Bailey's cabin door, then a little louder when no one answered. There was some grumbling and shuffling inside, and London answered the door in her silk leopard-print robe, sleep mask wrapped around her forehead. "This better be good."

"Sorry!" Zack apologized guiltily. "I was looking for Bailey."

"Well, she's not here." London said tiredly. "Oh!" she remembered. "She said she'd meet you on the Sky Deck."

"Great." Zack said. "Sorry I woke you."

London scoffed and pulled her sleep mask back over her eyes. "S'alright. Bailey always wakes me when she comes back every night anyways." She closed the door in Zack's face, and he heard her stumbling into objects on her way back to the bed. "Ow! _Ow!_"

Zack grinned. Of course it wouldn't occur to London to get back in bed first and _then_ put the sleep mask back on. "Good night!" he called softly through the door, rolling his eyes. He turned away... then immediately turned back. _Did she just say...?_ "London. London!"

There was a thump from inside the room, and then some shuffling, bumping, and moaning, and she answered the door, still wearing the mask. "Who is it?"

Zack reached over and plucked the mask away from her eyes, allowing it to snap onto her forehead. She yelped a little as he hissed, "_Me_, London. Duh. What did you just say?"

"Who is it?" London repeated, and Zack speared her with a glare.

"Before that."

"Ow, ow?" she guessed.

"Before _that_." Zack said, exasperated. "About Bailey. You said she wakes you up coming back to the room every night."

London folded her arms petulantly. "If you already knew, why did you ask me?"

"But what does that mean?" Zack pressed.

"It means she comes in, and wakes me up." London said tiredly. "It's not secret code."

"Every night?" Zack asked.

"Not _every_ night." London qualified. "Just since she and Cody got back together."

Zack's jaw dropped. "She-? And Co-? _What?_ ...And you _knew_ about this? The whole time?"

"Knew about what?" London asked cluelessly.

"Cody and Bailey are back together?" he asked her, just to be sure.

Her brow furrowed. "_Aren't _they?"

Zack pinched the bridge of his nose. Bailey and Cody, back together. Secretly dating. Why had he not figured this out sooner?

Because it was _crazy_, that's why.

"Never mind." he said to London. "Sorry for waking you. Again." He reached up and slid the sleep mask back over her eyes.

"Thanks." London said brightly. "Good night."

"Good night." Zack said again, and London's eyebrows shot up comically over her blindfolded eyes.

"_Who said that?_"

Rolling his eyes, Zack turned and walked away from the confused heiress, instead turning his attention to his new discovery. No wonder Bailey had taken the news of Cody's mystery girl so well; she'd known the whole time: it was _her_! He shook his head, his expression a mixture of frustration and reluctant admiration. No wonder she'd been so eager to be in on the plans for his pranks... the two of them had been playing him for a fool this whole time!

But he knew _now_.

And they didn't know he knew.

He could have a little fun with this.


	4. In Which Everyone Gets What's Coming

A/N: Well, we've reached the end. Thanks a million to all my readers, and especially those of you who've taken the time to give me your opinions. Keep it up, and enjoy the last chapter!  


* * *

Zack reached the Sky Deck, biting back a mischievous grin and schooling his features into a neutral expression. "Hey, Bailey." he whispered, seeing her already sitting in the shadows under the staircase. A full tub of water balloons was sitting next to her. Presumably, she had something better than a few popped balloons to sabotage his scheme tonight... whatever it was, Zack would just have to make sure to get her before she could get _him_.

"Hey." she whispered back, waving him over. "No sign of Cody yet, or the girl."

"Uh huh..." Zack said dryly, sitting beside her. They sat for a moment, looking up at the stars, before Zack said, "You know, my brother might have the right idea..."

"What do you mean?" Bailey asked idly, not really paying attention.

"Just that, with the moonlight, the water... At night, the Sky Deck really is pretty... romantic." Zack said, looking at her slyly. When she didn't respond right away, he shifted a little closer to her.

Bailey frowned and looked over at him, and he pretended to be watching the sky. "Uh, yeah, I guess..." she said slowly.

"It's just got me thinking..." Zack said softly, just as slowly. "You, uh, you look... really beautiful tonight, Bailey."

Bailey raised one eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Zack?" she asked warily. "Are... are you _hitting on me_?"

It was all Zack could do to stifle a smile at her wide-eyed expression. "I can't help it." he protested. "I can't hide the way I feel about you any longer." He slid one hand up her spine, bringing it to rest on her shoulder, and she jerked away slightly, reflexively.

"Zack..." she said in a warning tone. "Are you _serious_?" The look she gave him was two parts shocked, one part nauseous.

"Is this about Cody?" Zack questioned, struggling to keep a straight face. "Because he's already got a girl. He's moved on, Bailey, why shouldn't you?" She tried to subtly shrug his arm off her shoulder but he didn't move it. She was intensely uncomfortable now.

"Knock it off." she said, clearly uncertain what he was playing at.

"Forget Cody." he entreated.

She scooted backward, bumping the tub full of water balloons. "Zack? What are you-?"

"Bailey..." He leaned in, wrapping his other arm around her.

She looked positively flabbergasted, matching his forward movement by jerking her head back. "Zack, no, I-"

"Kiss me." Zack said, cutting her off. She froze like a deer in the headlights, and he moved their lips closer, and closer...

Then he yanked her into his arms and squeezed a balloon over her head. It broke, drenching her with cold water, and she shrieked, wet hair streaming into her face. "Zack!"

"Ha ha!" Zack laughed. "You thought I wouldn't figure it out! But who fooled _who?_" he crowed. At that moment another balloon sailed across the deck and broke on his chest, drenching him as well. While his attention was diverted, Bailey reached into the tub and grabbed another balloon, smashing it against the back of his neck and sending cold water running down his spine. "Whoa!"

Cody rose up from behind the hot tub, balloon raised to strike again. "Looks like we still got you." he grinned, his teeth shining white in the darkness.

He threw the balloon and hit the stair above Zack's head, causing water to trickle down on him, and Zack scrambled out from under the stairs as both Cody and Bailey continued the assault from both directions. "Hey! No fair!"

Cody laughed. "Serves you right for spying on me." Zack skirted around Bailey and grabbed an armful of balloons to defend himself, and soon they were in an all-out water war.

Finally there were no more balloons left, and the teens collapsed on the deck, laughing and dripping. "All right, you got me." Zack admitted. Cody and Bailey's teamwork had left him soaked from head to toe. He pointed at Bailey. "But I had you going there for a minute."

"You had me _freaking out_." Bailey agreed. She tucked herself under Cody's arm. "He tried to kiss me!" she complained.

"That better not happen again." Cody warned. He kissed a drop of water off the tip of Bailey's nose, then met her lips with his own.

"Yeah." Zack spoke up irritably. "By the way, when did _this _happen?"

"Senior ditch day." Cody answered. "While you and London and Woody were at that resort, we were in Bailey's room, writing a physics paper..."

"And then we _weren't_..." Bailey finished coyly, kissing Cody again.

"Yeesh." Zack made a face. "Fine. So you didn't tell anyone _because_...?"

Bailey shrugged, blushing. "It was just fun keeping it a secret like this. Dangerous, romantic, exciting... Like _Romeo and Juliet_. After being an established couple for so long, we wanted to shake things up a bit." She grinned at Zack. "Messing with you was just a bonus, Nosy."

Zack raised his eyebrows and looked to his brother, unimpressed. "Seriously, Codes?"

Cody just shrugged, brushing his nose against Bailey's in an Eskimo kiss. "Anything for my Juliet..."

Bailey gave a high-pitched giggle and Zack snorted. "Okay, Lameo and Loserette. So the jig's up, I found out. Now what?"

Bailey turned to Cody and pursed her lips sympathetically. "I know you didn't want it to come to this, sweetie, but we're going to have to kill him."

"All right." Cody sighed. "You get the rope, I'll get the cement blocks."

"Ha-ha." Zack said. "You guys are a regular Laurel and Hardy. Seriously."

"We figured we'd just let everyone find out when we showed up together at prom." Cody said, as Bailey rested her head on his shoulder. "But I guess it wouldn't kill us to tell everyone now."

"Yeah..." Bailey agreed. She nuzzled her lips into his neck. "I'm going to miss all the late-night rendezvous though."

"You're also going to miss all your after-school activities for the next week."

Gasping, the three teens whirled around at the sound of the stern voice. Mr. Moseby stood behind them, wearing his uniform jacket over his striped pajamas in an effort to look presentable. "Several passengers complained of hearing noises on the Sky Deck." he explained with annoyance. "Detention, all of you, for the next week. And if I catch any of you out of your rooms after curfew again, I'll... I'll..."

"Throw us in the brig?" Cody guessed hesitantly, wincing.

"Or were you thinking something more along the lines of the sewage flap?" Zack guessed, popping the 'p' in 'flap' as Mr. Moseby so often did.

"Guys!" Bailey hissed. "Shut _up!_"

Moseby just stared them down, looking livid.

"Did you know Cody and Bailey are back together?" Zack said brightly, and they both glared at him.

Mr. Moseby raised his eyebrows, his serious expression lifting. "Oh, is that so? Congratulations, you two. I'm very happy for you." His face darkened again, and he folded his arms. "I'll see you in detention."

* * *

"Hey Zack. I was thinking... wanna hang out after school?"

Zack looked up from his lunch tray, surprised, finding himself staring into Maya's warm, dark eyes. "I'd love to, but I can't." he said regretfully. It literally pained him to turn her down after all the time he'd invested in impressing her. "I have detention."

"Ah." Maya set down her tray and sat next to him, shoulder to shoulder in sympathetic solidarity. "I can only assume your brilliant prank went horribly awry?"

"Like you wouldn't believe." Zack nodded.

"Did you at least find out the identity of Cody's mystery date?" she asked.

Zack snorted. "Yes. Get this-"

Maya cut him off. "It was Bailey, wasn't it?" she asked excitedly.

Slack-jawed, he faced her. "How did you know?"

"I don't know." Maya answered thoughtfully. "Something in their eyes, I guess. They just didn't seem like they were really over each other."

"Did everyone see this coming but me? First London, now you..." Zack complained.

She only shrugged, a sparkle in her eye. "I guess we women just know these things."

"I see..." Zack leaned in, and she didn't move away. "And... do you know anything about me?" he said softly.

Her breath hitched audibly and the corners of her perfect mouth twitched upward. "Maybe..." she breathed, leaning in to him as well.

There was a clatter as a tray dropped onto the table in front of them and they sprang apart. Woody sat across from them, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "So I've been thinking about it, and I think I figured out who Cody's secret girlfriend is." he said, not seeming to notice Zack's frustrated expression, nor the blush staining Maya's cheeks. "You guys... I think it's_ Bailey_."


End file.
